Woods Outbound - San Francisco, California

Jerome M.

Went here on a Wednesday afternoon. Place wasn't busy. Parking easy to find.

Stumbled upon this place before eating. Really chill vibe. The beertender was very cool. Ordered their coffee porter and their pilsner. Head retention was very small on the pour. Didn't get much coffee in the porter. The pilsner had a slight twang on the palate.

Overall, the beers were okay. Nothing great. The place was very cool. Indoor seating in a narrow building with an outside spot to drink in the back and extra seating in the front. Great service. Cool spot if you're in the neighborhood, but I wouldn't go outta my way to go.

Samantha

My friends and I stumbled on this little gem and loved it. The Local Honey beer was divine - not sweet, but vegetal, earthy - and the mulled wine was the perfect mix of spices for a wintery night. Empanadas were on point for a late night snack. Lastly, the bartender was so nice and very knowledgeable about all the drinks, he even offered us samples of beers he thought we might like. They make beer AND wine which is not something you see often!

Tom B.

Empanadas are literally better by an order of magnitude than anything I found in Santiago Chile a few years ago. Great beer all around too.

Would love to go nuts supporting the business but seems a little unintentionally reckless to be burning so much gas in the extremely cute backyard fire pit even when no ones out there. And the single-use plastic cups for water seemed unnecessary, should have asked for a glass, felt a little guilty there.

The next time Im back if those two issues are addressed I pledge to spend $100+ dollars. Seriously love this place, thank you for making it work in the Sunset!

Andy L.

Love Woods beer but at this location, I waited inside for 25 minutes without being given the chance to order. No one was behind the bar for the first ten minutes that I was there and then after another 15 minutes of waiting I just decided to try somewhere else. Disappointing.

Zosha S.

Great beer selection, fun location, etc. But what we really need to talk about? The empanadas. Absolutely exquisite. They’re all bangers but the traditional beef is absurd. Perfectly spiced, indulgently flaky and rich pastry without being heavy.

H K.

Cute drink spot in Outer sunset! Great natural wine and beer selections! Pet friendly outdoor seatings are available too!

James K.

Some great beer to be had here! (5/5 green stars)
Woods Outbound (to use the official name) is the fifth branch of Woods Beer and a perfect spot to relax after a hike through Golden Gate Park or a trip to the beach. It’s a tight space, but that’s sometimes a good thing in a bar and they do also have two fair-sized tables near the window. The young chap behind the bar was very friendly and a testament to what hospitality should be. Beer: we tried 4 of them ($6-$9) and found them all to be interesting and some exceptional – for me the standout was the Local Honey ($8). We also had two empanadas ($6 ea.) – the Acelga (Swiss chard, gruyere, pine nuts) and Fugazetta (cheese and onion) – and felt that the pastry was wonderful but the fillings were a little bit disappointing. The cheese empanada was a little empty – we may have received a lemon. It’s a pity, because I’ve had El Porteño’s alfajores before at the Ferry Building and they were amazing. The beer is perhaps a touch on the pricey side – for example, $9 for their Smooch. But considering the ingredients (they put something like 10 lbs of raspberries into each barrel for that beer) it I think it’s not crazy.

I’m giving them 5/5 “green stars” for social and environmental impact, based on these reasons:

• Woods are best known for incorporating yerba mate into some of their beer. They source their mate from EcoTeas, who grow it organically, use green energy and are the first “water-neutral” tea company.
• Their Morpho beer ($9 for 22 oz. bottle) is an organic herbal ale (also incorporating mate). Organic beer is fairly uncommon – some larger breweries (like New Belgium) had trouble selling theirs at the higher price point.
• Their empanadas are made by El Porteño, who tend to use pretty good ingredients (mine had locally-sourced organic chard, others have Prather Ranch grass-fed beef, etc.)
• Empanadas are served in a simple brown paper bag.
• Of course, the beer is locally-brewed, reducing transport emissions and carbon footprint.
• Woods are exploring interesting alternative ingredients for their beer, such as yams.

Interested in writing green star reviews? If so, contact me! (greenstarsproject)

Joseph R.

The empanadas are drier than my DMs. The atmosphere is oppressively tacky. The staff is mistreated.